Election 2013: Near skrimish mars last day of registration in Abra town

La Trinidad, Benguet – An attempt to sneak in alleged flying voters from an Abra town marred the last day of the voters’ registration in the province.

Cordillera police, which have been monitoring the regustratio, said two policemen-escorts of a town mayor were transferred back to the regional headquarters after the near skirmish between two town mayors within the Commission on Elections compound in Dolores town Wednesday afternoon at the close of the registration.

Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, said he ordered the relief of Police Officer 2 Jithelo Tuazon, VIP escort of La Paz town mayor Joseph Blando Bernos and another policemen, who together with the mayor allegedly tried to sneak in flying voters from La Paz to Dolores town to register there.

Other policemen, however, thwarted the attempt and a skirmish between Bernos and Dolores town mayor Robert Seares Jr. nearly broke out.

Even before that spat between the two town executives, Bernos had argued with Comelec Dolores town officer Adriano Bernardino about the registrations he brought with him to the Comelec compound.

The police-escorts of Bernos were sent back to the regional headquarters in Camp Dangwa here for investigation and were disarmed of an MP5 submachine gun and a caliber 45 pistol.

More than a month ago, the board election of the Abra Electric Cooperative was also marred with near skirmishes between rival politicians backing their own bets in a single seat in the cooperative’s policy making body.

Sec. 113. Permanent List of Voters. – Any provision of Presidential Decree No. 1896 to the contrary notwithstanding, the list of voters prepared and used in the election of Members of the Batasang Pambansa on May 14, 1984, with such additions, cancellations and corrections as may hereafter be made in accordance with the provisions of this Code, shall constitute the permanent list of voters in each city or municipality, as the case may be, until 1996.
For purposes of the next following election, the Commission, through the election registrars, shall assign the proper precincts and polling places to the registered voters in said list. Written notice of any such change shall be made to the affected voters within two weeks therefrom.

Sec. 114. Renewal of the Permanent List. – The list of voters prepared in accordance with the preceding section shall be renewed in nineteen hundred and ninety-six and every twelve years thereafter.

Sec. 115. Necessity of Registration. – In order that a qualified elector may vote in any election, plebiscite or referendum, he must be registered in the permanent list of voters for the city or municipality in which he resides.

Sec. 116. Who may be registered in the list. – All persons having complied with the requisites herein prescribed for the registration of voters shall be registered in the list, provided they possess all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications of a voter. Those who failed to register in the election of 1984, for any reason whatsoever, may register in accordance with the provisions of this Code. Any person who may not have on the date of registration the age or period of residence required may also be registered upon proof that on the date of the election, plebiscite or referendum he shall have such qualifications.

Sec. 117. Qualifications of a voter. – Every citizen of the Philippines, not otherwise disqualified by law, eighteen years of age or over, who shall have resided in the Philippines for one year and in the city or municipality wherein he proposes to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the election, may be registered as a voter.

Any person who transfers residence to another city, municipality or country solely by reason of his occupation; profession; employment in private or public service; educational activities; work in military or naval reservations; service in the army, navy or air force; the constabulary or national police force; or confinement or detention in government institutions in accordance with law, shall be deemed not to have lost his original residence.

Sec. 118. Disqualifications. – The following shall be disqualified from voting:chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary
(a) Any person who has been sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment for not less than one year, such disability not having been removed by plenary pardon or granted amnesty: Provided, however, That any person disqualified to vote under this paragraph shall automatically reacquire the right to vote upon expiration of five years after service of sentence.
(b) Any person who has been adjudged by final judgment by competent court or tribunal of having committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government such as rebellion, sedition, violation of the anti-subversion and firearms laws, or any crime against national security, unless restored to his full civil and political rights in accordance with law: Provided, That he shall regain his right to vote automatically upon expiration of five years after service of sentence.

(c) Insane or incompetent persons as declared by competent authority.

Sec. 119. Preparation of the permanent list of voters. – For the preparation of the permanent list of voters in nineteen hundred and ninety-six and every twelve years thereafter, the board of election inspectors referred to in Article XIV hereof of each election precinct shall hold four meetings on the seventh Saturday, seventh Sunday, sixth Saturday and sixth Sunday preceding the date of the regular election to be held. At these meetings the board shall prepare eight copies of the list of voters of the precinct wherein it shall register the electors applying for registration.

Sec. 120. Preparation of the list before other regular elections. – For the preparation of the list before other regular elections, the board of election inspectors of each election precinct shall meet in the polling place on the seventh and sixth Saturdays before the day of the election. At these meetings, the board shall prepare and certify eight copies of the list of voters of the corresponding precinct transferring thereto the names of the voters appearing in the list used in the preceding election and including therein such new qualified voters as may apply for registration, as provided in Section 126 hereof.

Sec. 121. Preparation of the list before any special election, plebiscite or referendum. – For the preparation of the list of voters before a special election, plebiscite or referendum, the board of elections inspectors of each election precinct shall hold a meeting in the polling place on the second Saturday following the day of the proclamation calling such election. At this meeting the board shall transfer the names of the voters appearing in the list used in the preceding election and enter those of the newly registered voters.

Sec. 122. Transfer of names of voters from the permanent list to the current one. – The transfer of the names of the voters of the precinct already registered in the list used in the preceding election to the list to be made as provided for in the two preceding sections is a ministerial duty of the board, and any omission or error in copying shall be corrected motu proprio, or upon petition of the interested party, without delay and in no case beyond three days from the time such error is noticed; and if the board should refuse, the interested party may apply for such correction to the proper municipal or metropolitan trial court which shall decide the case without delay and in no case beyond three days from the date the petition is filed. The decision of the proper municipal or metropolitan trial court shall be final and unappealable in whatever form or manner.

To facilitate the transfer of names of voters, the election registrar shall deliver the book of voters to the board of election inspectors on the day before the registration of voters, to be returned after the last day of registration.

Sec. 123. Cancellation and exclusion in the transfer of names. – In transferring the names of the voters of the precinct from the list used in the preceding election to the current list, the board shall exclude those who have applied for the cancellation of their registration, those who have died, those who did not vote in the immediately preceding two successive regular elections, those who have been excluded by court orders issued in accordance with the provisions of this Code, and those who have been disqualified, upon motion of any member of the board or of any elector or watcher, upon satisfactory proof to the board and upon summons to the voter in cases of disqualification. The motion shall be decided by the board without delay and in no case beyond three days from its filing. Should the board deny the motion, or fail to act thereon within the period herein fixed, the interested party may apply for such exclusion to the municipal or metropolitan trial court which shall decide the petition without delay and in no case beyond three days from the date the petition is filed. The decision of the court shall be final. The poll clerk shall keep a record of these exclusions and shall furnish three copies thereof to the election registrar who shall, in turn keep one copy and send the two other copies thereof to the provincial election supervisor and the Commission, to be attached by them to the permanent list under their custody.

Sec. 124. Meeting to close the list of voters. – The board of election inspectors shall also meet on the second Saturday immediately preceding the day of the regular election, or on the second day immediately preceding the day of the special election, plebiscite or referendum whether it be Sunday or a legal holiday, for the purpose of making such inclusions, exclusions, and corrections as may be or may have been ordered by the courts, stating opposite every name so corrected, added, or cancelled, the date of the order and the court which issued the same; and for the consecutive numbering of the voters of the election precinct.

Should the board fail to include in the list of voters any person ordered by competent court to be so included, said person shall, upon presentation of a certified copy of the order of inclusion and upon proper identification, be allowed by the board to vote.

Should the board fail to exclude from the list of voters any person ordered by the court to be so excluded, the board shall not permit said person to vote upon presentation to it by any interested party of a certified copy of the order of exclusion.

Sec. 125. Re-registration. – A voter who is registered in the permanent list of voters need not register anew for subsequent elections unless he transfer residence to another city or municipality, or his registration has been cancelled on the ground of disqualification and such disqualification has been lifted or removed. Likewise a voter whose registration has been cancelled due to failure to vote in the preceding regular election may register anew in the city or municipality where he is qualified to vote.

Sec. 126. Registration of voters. – On the seventh and sixth Saturdays before a regular election or on the second Saturday following the day of the proclamation calling for a new special election, plebiscite or referendum, any person desiring to be registered as a voter shall accomplish in triplicate before the board of election inspectors a voter’s affidavit in which shall be stated the following data:chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary
(a) Name, surname, middle name, maternal surname;
(b) Date and place of birth;

(c) Citizenship;

(d) Periods of residence in the Philippines and in the place of registration;

(e) Exact address with the name of the street and house number or in case there is none, a brief description of the locality and the place;

(f) A statement that the applicant has not been previously registered, otherwise he shall be required to attach a sworn application for cancellation of his previous registration; and

(g) Such other information or data which may be required by the Commission.

The voter’s affidavit shall also contain three specimens of the applicant’s signature and clear and legible prints of his left and right hand thumbmarks and shall be sworn to and filed together with four copies of the latest identification photograph to be supplied by the applicant.

The oath of the applicant shall include a statement that he does not have any of the disqualifications of a voter and that he has not been previously registered in the precinct or in any other precinct.

Before the applicant accomplishes his voter’s affidavit, the board of election inspectors shall appraise the applicant of the qualifications and disqualifications prescribed by law for a voter. It shall also see to it that the accomplished voter’s affidavit contain all the data therein required and that the applicant’s specimen signatures, the prints of his left and right hand thumbmarks and his photograph are properly affixed in each of the voter’s affidavit.
Adalem a nasayaat balong a JB tapno saan ka nga maikarasakas, as we review what you did we found out that you may be disqualified to run for mayor once again, because as a government official you may not coerce, or try to indulge yourself into trying to influence somebody . urayem latan ballong ti kasom a naipila, kitaen ta man ti laing ni kayong mo nga abogado no malusotam detoy a kaso.
JB saan ka a pausar kadagita padam a boryas!